The International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Thursday ordered former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 29 other fugitive accused to surrender by 16 September in a crimes-against-humanity case over the 2013 Shapla Chattar killings in Dhaka.
The tribunal also ordered that notices be published in two national dailies asking the accused to appear before the court.
The order came after a hearing on a prosecution petition.
Ten of the 41 accused who are in custody were produced before the tribunal during Thursday’s proceedings.
They include former ministers Abdur Razzaq, Dipu Moni and Abdul Latif Siddique; former inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Haque; and former army officer Ziaul Ahsan.
Journalist Farzana Rupa, who is also an accused, was not produced before the tribunal as she was reportedly ill.
Prosecutor Zahirul Amin told the tribunal that arrest warrants had already been issued against the 30 fugitives. Law enforcement agencies had searched their permanent and temporary addresses but failed to locate them, he said.
The prosecution therefore sought publication of notices in national newspapers to secure their appearance before the tribunal.
After hearing the prosecution, the tribunal ordered publication of the notices and fixed 16 September for the next hearing.
Prosecution seeks speedy disposal
International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam on Thursday said the prosecution would seek to conclude the Shapla Chattar case on a priority basis.
Speaking to reporters at his office, Aminul said the tribunal attaches importance to all cases, but the Shapla Chattar case would be given priority for an expedited trial.
He alleged that the then Awami League government had attempted to portray the Shapla Chattar incident as a staged event. According to him, 61 clerics were killed indiscriminately during the operation.
The chief prosecutor further alleged that misinformation had previously been spread to divert attention from the killings and that demands for justice had remained among both religious groups and the wider public.
“We will try to conclude the trial quickly, respecting that demand for justice,” he said.
According to the prosecution, the May 2013 operation at Shapla Chattar amounted to genocide and was part of a planned killing carried out under the direction of the then Awami League government.
The prosecution alleges that senior officials of law enforcement agencies were involved in implementing the plan.
It further claims that a meeting involving ministers and senior government officials took place before the operation, where the use of grenades and lethal weapons was discussed and approved.
The prosecution alleges that Hefazat-e-Islam activists, including children, and others were killed during the operation.
It also claims that police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion and members of the Awami League, Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jubo League jointly participated in the operation under government instructions.
The prosecution has alleged that cases filed after the incident were not properly investigated and that Hefazat-e-Islam had been denied justice for the killings.
41 accused in the case
The initial complaint in the case named 21 people. Following an investigation, the prosecution expanded the list and submitted formal charges against 41 accused.
The 30 fugitive accused are Sheikh Hasina, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Hasan Mahmud Chowdhury, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Mrinal Kanti Das, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Omar Faruk Chowdhury, Salahuddin Mahmud alias SM Zahid, Imran H Sarker, former IGP Hasan Mahmud Khandker, former IGP Mohammad Javed Patwari, former IGP Benazir Ahmed, former RAB director general Md Mokhlesur Rahman, former BGB director general Aziz Ahmed, Lt Gen Md Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Mohammad Maruf Hasan, Mahbub Hossain, Md Monirul Islam, Md Anwar Hossain, Ashrafuzzaman, SM Mehedi Hasan, Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, Biplab Kumar Sarker, Syed Nurul Islam, Md Asaduzzaman, SM Shibli Noman and BM Farman Ali.
The accused include political leaders, former government officials, senior law enforcement officers and journalists.
Among the journalists named as accused are Shahriar Kabir, president of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee; Mozammel Haque Babu, former managing director of Ekattor Media Limited; and Farzana Rupa, the media outlet’s former chief reporter.
The complaint over the alleged Shapla Chattar killings was initially submitted to the chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal by Hefazat-e-Islam leader Azizul Haque. He filed it on behalf of Hefazat leaders Junaid Al Habib and Maulana Mamunul Haque.
